How often should an office be cleaned?

Start with how the space is used

A quiet office with five staff who mostly work at their desks needs far less cleaning than a busy reception area with clients coming and going all day. Before choosing a schedule, think about three things: how many people use the space each day, whether customers or patients visit, and whether people eat at their desks or in a shared kitchen.

Kitchens and bathrooms get dirty fastest, so they usually set the pace. Desks, carpets and windows can often be cleaned less often.

A typical schedule for a small office

Daily or every visit: empty bins, clean and restock bathrooms, wipe kitchen benches and sinks, and wipe high-touch points like door handles, light switches and shared phones.

Weekly: vacuum carpets, mop hard floors, wipe desks that have been cleared, clean glass doors and partitions, and wipe the fridge and microwave.

Monthly or quarterly: dust high surfaces and vents, clean skirting boards, spot-clean walls, and clean inside the fridge and windows.

Once or twice a year: steam clean carpets and do a full deep clean.

Rules of thumb

Most small offices with up to 15 staff suit two or three cleans a week. Offices with daily client visits, medical rooms and anywhere food is prepared usually need cleaning every day. Very quiet offices can often manage with a weekly clean plus a daily bin and bathroom check by staff.

If staff are wiping down the kitchen themselves, or bins are full before the cleaner arrives, the schedule probably needs another visit.

Getting the scope right

The best way to set a schedule is to walk through the office with your cleaner. That's why we do a free site visit before quoting: we see the space, ask how it's used, and write a scope that lists what's done on each visit. You can adjust it at any time.

Need a hand?

Clean desks, kitchens and bathrooms, scheduled around your business hours. See our office cleaning service or ask for a free quote.